Article for press (22.11.2022)

 

Our Sun will die in 10 billion years from now   (17th November, 2022)

Scientists have worked out when our Sun will die. It won't be any time soon. It will be in 10 billion years. The scientists are from the University of Manchester in the UK. They predict that in about 5 billion years from now, the Sun will turn into a "red giant". This is the scientific name given to a star at the end of its life. When our Sun becomes a red giant, its centre will shrink. Its outer layers will expand as far as Mars. This means Earth will be burnt and disappear. After our Sun turns into a red giant, it will become a planetary nebula. This is a bubble of gas and space dust. The scientists say no humans will be on Earth when the Sun dies out. Humans will disappear in around one billion years from now.
         The Sun is still quite young in space years. It is just 4.6 billion years old. This means it is only around one third into its lifespan. Professor Albert Zijlstra, a scientist from the University of Manchester, explained what happens at the end of a star's life. He said: "When a star dies, it ejects a mass of gas and dust into space.…This reveals the star's core. By this point in the star's life, it is running out of fuel." He said it eventually turns off and dies. Professor Zijlstra was happy that modern science can calculate the age of stars and what will happen to them. He said we can measure the presence of stars in distant galaxies, and "we even have found out what the Sun will do when it dies".

 END OF THE WORLD: What would you do if the Sun was going to end Earth next week? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

About...	What?	Why?
Family
Friends
Food
Travel
Games
Hobbies

 

SPACE: Rank these with your partner. Put the most interesting things about space at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

·         The Sun

·         The Moon

·         Mars

·         Black holes

·         Asteroids

·         Space dust

·         Jupiter

·         Distant galaxies

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

1.	worked out	a.	Become or make larger.
2.	predict	b.	Dry powder consisting of tiny bits of earth or waste matter lying on the ground.
3.	scientific	c.	Found the answer to something.
4.	shrink	d.	Say or guess a something will happen in the future.
5.	expand	e.	Become or make smaller in size or amount.
6.	bubble	f.	A thin ball of liquid with air or another gas.
7.	dust	g.	About science.

    Paragraph 2

8.	lifespan	h.	Material such as coal, gas, or oil that is burned to produce heat or power.
9.	eject	i.	The thick, middle part of a planet or of the Sun.
10.	mass	j.	Cause or allow something to be seen.
11.	reveal	k.	The length of time for which a person or animal lives or a thing functions.
12.	core	l.	Find out the amount or number of something using maths.
13.	fuel	m.	Throw something or someone out of something.
14.	calculate	n.	A large body of matter with no definite shape.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

1. The article says the Sun will not die soon.     T / F
2. When the Sun becomes a red giant, it will expand to reach Mars.     T / F
3. After our Sun turns into a red giant, it will become a comet.     T / F
4. Humans will not be on Earth in two million years from now.     T / F
5. The Sun is over 4.5 billion years old.     T / F
6. The Sun is over half way through its life span.     T / F
7. A professor is unhappy because he cannot calculate the age of stars.     T / F
8. The professor said he can measure stars in faraway galaxies.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. worked out
2. predict
3. centre
4. expand
5. disappear
6. quite
7. ejects
8. reveals
9. presence
10. distant

1. faraway
2. die out
3. sends out
4. core
5. existence
6. calculated
7. uncovers
8. fairly
9. forecast
10. stretch

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1. Scientists have worked out when
2. It won't be any
3. Its outer layers will expand
4. This is a bubble
5. Humans will disappear
6. it is only around one third
7. it ejects a mass of gas
8. This reveals the star's
9. it is running
10. the presence of stars in distant

1. as far as Mars
2. in around one billion years
3. core
4. galaxies
5. time soon
6. and dust into space
7. out of fuel
8. our Sun will die
9. into its lifespan
10. of gas and space dust

Guess the answers.

1) Scientists have worked out when our Sun will die. It won't be ______
     a.  many time soon
     b.  any times moon
     c.  any time soon
     d.  any times swoon
2)  When our Sun becomes a red giant, its ______
     a.  centre will shrink
     b.  centre will shrank
     c.  centre will shrunk
     d.  centre will shriek
3)  it will become a planetary nebula. This is a bubble of gas ______
     a.  and space dusty
     b.  and space dust
     c.  and space dusts
     d.  and space adjust
4)  The scientists say no humans will be on Earth when the ______
     a.  Sun dies shout
     b.  Sun die shout
     c.  Sun die spout
     d.  Sun dies out
5)  Humans will disappear in around one billion ______
     a.  years from know
     b.  years from no
     c.  years from now
     d.  years from then

6)  This means it is only around one third ______
     a.  unto its lifespan
     b.  onto its lifespan
     c.  in two its lifespan
     d.  into its lifespan
7)  explained what happens at the end of ______
     a.  a star's life
     b.  a star strife
     c.  a star slice
     d.  a star's leaf
8)  into space....This reveals ______
     a.  the star's core
     b.  the star score
     c.  the stars cor!
     d.  the star's curl
9)  By this point in the star's life, it is running ______
     a.  out of file
     b.  out of foal
     c.  out of feel
     d.  out of fuel
10)  He said we can measure the presence of stars ______
     a.  in distance galaxies
     b.  in distant galaxies
     c.  in distant galaxy
     d.  in disdain galaxies

Comprehension questions

1. What will the Sun become in 5 billion years from now?
2. What will happen to the centre of the Sun in 5 billion years from now?
3. Where will the outer layers of the Sun reach in 5 billion years from now?
4. What does a planetary nebula contain?
5. When will humans disappear from Earth?
6. How old is the Sun?
7. What is Albert Zijlstra's job?
8. What does a star eject into space when it dies?
9. What does a star run out of before it dies?
10. Where can a professor measure the presence of stars?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What will the Sun become in 5 billion years from now?
a) nothing
b) a scary monster
c) a red giant
d) a mess
2) What will happen to the centre of the Sun in 5 billion years from now?
a) it will shrink
b) it will burn more brightly
c) it will explode
d) it will turn black in colour
3) Where will the outer layers of the Sun reach in 5 billion years from now?
a) the next galaxy
b) Mars
c) Pluto
d) Antarctica
4) What does a planetary nebula contain?
a) stars and galaxies
b) rock and comets
c) hydrogen and helium
d) gas and space dust
5) When will humans disappear from Earth?
a) in a 1,000 years from now
b) in 100 million years from now
c) in a billion years from now
d) no one knows

6) How old is the Sun?
a) 4.8 billion years old
b) 4.6 billion years old
c) 4.2 billion years old
d) 4.4 billion years old
7) What is Albert Zijlstra's job?
a) He's an astronaut.
b) He's a science fiction writer.
c) He's a rocket engineer.
d) He's a professor.
8) What does a star eject into space when it dies?
a) clouds and silver rain
b) gas and dust
c) comets and asteroids
d) hydrogen and helium
9) What does a star run out of before it dies?
a) dark
b) fuel
c) time
d) space
10) Where can a professor measure the presence of stars?
a) in distant galaxies
b) in his laboratory
c) on his computer
d) in our nearest galaxy

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS

1. What did you think when you read the headline?
2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'sun'?
3. What do you know about our Sun?
4. Do you worry about the Sun dying?
5. Can you imagine how long 10 billion years is?
6. How interested are you in space?
7. How do you feel about the Earth being destroyed by the Sun?
8. Will humans die out earlier because of climate change?
9. How can we make sure humans can survive on Earth?
10. Would you like to go into space?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?

11. What do you think of when you hear the word 'billion'?
12. What do you think about what you read?
13. What does the Sun do?
14. How can the Sun be dangerous?
15. What do you know about stars?
16. What do you know about galaxies?
17. Do you like the Sun or Moon better?
18. Would you like to live in a sunnier country?
19. What questions would you like to ask the scientists?

Put the words in the right order

1. when   die   .   Scientists   out   Sun   our   will   worked
2. a   Sun   The   turn   red   giant   .   will   into
3. name   a   scientific   star   .   The   given   to
4. disappear   .   This   burnt   will   Earth   and   be   means
5. around   Humans   billion   one   years   .   in   will   disappear
6. is   Sun   young   years   .   still   in   The   space
7. third   It's   its   lifespan   .   around   into   only   one
8. science   stars   .   calculate   can   Modern   age   the   of
9. in   stars   presence   the   Measure   galaxies   .   distant   of
10. out   will   do   .   Sun   We   found   what   the